Submarine gun-turret.



R. S. NOAH.

SUBMAHINE GUN TURRET.

APPLICATION man Dic. I3. Isle.

Patented Mar. 1l, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEETI R. S. NOAH.

SUBMARINE GUN TURRET.

APPLICATION FILED Dsc. 1a. 191s.

Patented Mar. 11l 19111.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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Chrome ROBERT S. NOAH, OF ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO HENRY 2B, REINHARDT,

TRUSTEE, 0F ROLAND PARK, MARYLAND.

SUBMARINE GUN-TURRET.

Lacasse.

Specification of Letters Patent. lfatentd Mar. 11, 1919;.

Application led December 13, 1916. Serial No. 136,791.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT S. NOAH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Annapolis, in the county of Anne Arundel and State of Maryland,.have invented certain new and useful improvements in Submarine Gun-Turrets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in a sea-going vessel of the submersible type, and has particular reference to providing such vessels with a revoluble gun turret and with means that shall have the capability of raising the turret to a position above the deck of the vessel when a gun in the turret is about'to be fired, and when there is no occasion for using the gun the same means will give the capability of lowering both the gun-turret and Vgun into the hull of the vessel where they will be hid from the view `of persons afloat on any vessel that may be in the vicinity.

rlhe inventive idea therefore ,consists of providing means whereby 'a submarine vessel may have mounted a revoluble gun-turl ret that will lower rand disappear from sight.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1, is'a vertical section of art of a submarine vessel, and the revolub e cgunturret, the latter being shown lowered be-I low the deck of the vessel as when it has disappeared.

Fig. 2, is a horizontal cross-section throughthe revoluble turret and shows the gun, all he parts are drawn to a larger scale, and havethe position they occupy.

A when said turret and gun are lowered.

a horizontal section view of the Fig. 2, but the turret has through Fig. 3, is same parts seen in been elevated and the gun projects the embrasure in position for firing.

Referring to the drawings, the'numeral 6, designates the bottom of the hull; on top.

and at the highest part of the hull is an upper deck, 9,1- and next below is a ceiling 11, while the space between vsaid deck and ceiling constitutes a closed air-chamber, 10, which is thus formed within the top of the vessels hull. The lowermost deck, 19, ofthe vessel, in the present instance, is the oor of thelengine room. The intermediate deck,

18, separates the lower compartments, 16, from the upper compartments, 17. A space 20, is shown between the lower deck, 19,

and the vessel-bottom, 6, to contain ballastwater and to receive sea-Water that is required to cause the vessel to submerge.

It will be understood that the particular interior construction of the decks, bulkheads, and other parts of a submarine are unimportant, as such parts may be planned differently from what'is shown in the drawing.

The present invention includes a vertical cylinder, 12, of any preferred construction and the same has fixed position within the hull and extends through the decks of the submarine vessel. This cylinder has a closed lower end, 13, and its upper end 14, is open and the packing seat, 29, in the upper end in the present instance, is Hush with the top of the upper deck.

The circular wall of the cylinder has openings, 21, 22, whichmay communicate with the lower and upper compartments, 16, and 17, respectively; doors, 23 are provided to close said cylinder openings.

The turrent, 15, is circular and its movably within the upper part ofthe vertical cylinder, 12; it has a bottom, 26, a closed and slightly convex top, 27, and a ange 28, around the top projects horizontally and when the turret is .in its lowered position, as shown in Fig. 1, said top flange, 28, contactsl with the packing seat, 29, positioned at the top end of the cylinder, and by the {iange pressing down thereon a water-tight joint is formed which excludes sea-water.

The turret has a leg, 4'3, which projects downward from the bottom, 26; the'lower end ofthis leg is rounded and sets in a Stepbearing, 44, onthe elevator piston; said leg partly supports the turret, and also is a part of the mechanical means to causel` the turret to revolve, as will be presently described. The turret has an embrasure, 30, in its wall which is closed by a hinged door, 3-1, swinging -on the inner side of the turret. This door must be opened to permit the end 32,

of the gun to be run out through the emalso has a corresponding circular groove, and hardened steel balls, 48, are in the two grooves. It will .be seen that most of the weight of the turret and its gun is supported fby the anti-friction balls, 48, though the leg, 43, serves also as a support. The step-bearing, 44, is in the hollow piston, andthe top,

46, of the latter has a hole through which ,saidr leg, 43, extends and also revolves. -To effect the revolution of the turret, the leg carries a spirallyrtoothed Wheel, 49, and an The gun is mounted 'on a carriage, 53,

which moves -on track-rails 54, extending diametrically across the bottom 26, of the turret'and a rackbar, 55, fixed on said bottom between the rails is engaged by a toothed wheel on the moves the gun.

In Fig. 1, the broken lines above the top of the view show the outline shape of the turret 15, and indicate the position the turret and gun will have above deckwhen the turret has been raised in readiness to fire the When Ithe turret is'the lowered osition shown in Fig. 1, it will be understoo to have disappeared from view.

It will be seen thati'the 'bottom of the gunturret has an inverted circular groove, and

the of the elevatgr, 24, has a correspond ing circular groove, 37, and that balls, 48, are

positioned between the two circular grooves, and thereby the gun-turret is supported and may be revolved independently of. any movement of the piston elevator, and also elevated, without regard to whether the-gunturret 1s or is not inclosed by the walls of a vertical cylinder, as shown in Figxvlf By this description it is meant that the hollow pistpn, 24, is an elevator that raises the gunturret vertically and also allows said turret to move downwardly. 1

The horizontal broken line s. s. extending above the structure in- Fig. 1, indicates the approximate relative, position of the surface of the sea-water and the top deck of the submarine when the vessel is afloat at or near the surface though by pumping out more water the vessel may of course be raised higher.

To raise the turret from its disappeared position I have provided a pump and engine to employ fluid-pressure, see Fig. 1.

A pump, 37, rests on the lower deck, 19, I

gun-carriage, which wheell and at each of two opposite sides of the pump is an attached pipe, one of which is designated, 38, and the other, 39; these two pipes are discharge pipes and pass through the lower deck 19, and open into the storagewater, or bilge-water, space, 20. Each of these pipes has a cut-off valve, 40. lAttached also to opposite sides of the` pump, 37, is a pipe designated at one side 41, and at the other side designated, 42. These last named pipes pass through the lower deck and extend along the water space, 20, and then pass upward through thebottom, 13, of the cylinder below the closed lower end, 45,- of the movable piston, 24. These are the fluid-pressure pipes. Each lpipe of the two last named has a cut-off valve, 43. By manually operating the several valves the turret and gun may be raised or lowered by the power of the pump, 37.

Having described my invention what I claim an desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is,- 1.- In a submarine vessel, the combination of a hull; a cylinder having fixed position ertically within the hull; a, piston having a vertical reciprocating movement, and provided with a step-bearing; a gun-support movable in the cylinder and havin a leg which sets in said step-bearing; anl means carried by the vertically-moving pistonto impart revoluble movement to said gunsupeV port.

2. In a submarine vessel, the combination of a hull; a. cylinder having fixed position vertically within the hull; a piston having a vertical reciprocating movement and provided with a step-bearing; a gun-support movable in the cylinder and having a leg which sets in said step-bearing; and means carried by the piston and connected with the said leg for revolving the gun-support.

3. In a submarine vessel, the combination of a hull; a cylinderhaving fixed position vertically within the hull; a piston having a vertical reciprocating movement within the lower part 'of said fixed cylinder; a gunturret having circular inclosing walls and carried upon the said piston and fitting so as to move both vertically and revolubly within the upper part of said fixed cylinder, whereby the circular gun-turret may be elevated above the hull and deck and .then revolved, and also lowered below the deck andpconcealed in the xed cylinder.-

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT S. NOAH. Witnesses Louis C. KLERLEIN, IzELLig. E. BAGLEY. 

